NAME: allison kirchhoff

Theology III

Seven Social Sins

https://catholicconscience.org/social-sin/

Mohandas K. Gandhi came up with this list of 7 Social Sins. Social sin resides within a group or
a community of people. Remember that social sins stem from personal sins. Social sin includes
attitudes, actions, and structures that foster unjust treatment. It oppresses human beings, violates
human dignity, stifles freedom and/or imposes great inequity. Social sin is embedded in our
societies. The only way we can recognize these sinful structures is if we step outside our own
world and consider the world from another person's perspective. Once we have recognized these
patterns and structures that are sinful, we need to move toward action on behalf of justice and the
common good.

For each of the following 7 social sins, come up with 1 historical example and one present-day
example. Explain how each thing you choose is an example. Remember: These should be social
(structural) sins, not personal sins.

1. Politics Without Principle: Politics of fear, hate, or exclusion:

• Governed by fear, division, or abuse.

• Derogation of (an exemption from) conscience rights (rights that protects people’s ability to do
what they feel is morally right).
• Interference with free, responsible speech.
• Military or police aggression.

When you see the word politics, you automatically think of politicians. It’s common to criticize
politicians and label them as corrupt, and to use this as an excuse to not participate in politics.
However, we often forget that we’re part of that group of people ourselves. If the system is
maintained, it’s because of our own action or inaction. We’re all involved in politics either actively or
passively. The question is whether our participation contributes to strengthening values in politics or not.

HISTORICAL

the holocaust - this is an example because the people lived in division

CURRENT

unjust discrimination – this is an example because it make the people being discriminated against live in
fear
 2. Misuse of Creation:

• Abuse of our fellow living things.

• Abuse of the environment.

HISTORICAL

the bombing in Nashville on Christmas – this is an example because it is abuse to the environment by
destroying the surrounding shops/restaurants which resulted in killing and injuring people

CURRENT

deforestation – this is an example because it is abuse to the environment

3. Society without love:

• Religion with hate, fear, or exclusion

• Indifference to others

HISTORICAL

ignoring the homeless – this is an example because everyday people pass homeless people who lack the
necessities and just look the other way because they are different than them

CURRENT

lust – this is an example because this doesn’t show love to your significant other

4. Acquisition or retention of unjust wealth:

• Promoting poverty.
• Contributing to unjust distribution of social produce; increasing the gap between rich and
poor.
• Accumulation of unnecessary wealth.

HISTORICAL

coronavirus – this is an example because we are doing what we feel is morally right to protect others
that are in a higher risk than us but there are certain groups that consider making other groups suffer so
they can maintain their wealth

CURRENT

not working because you live in a nice house already – this is an example because working hard should
be more valued than laziness because you should not have the right not to work and to live off others
 5. Commerce or industry without morality:

• Creation and exploitation of false needs, promotion of unsustainable consumption (hurts the
environment and depletes natural resources.
• Exploitation (taking advantage of someone in order to profit from them) of workers, or by
workers.
• Interference with dignified work, e.g., unnecessary automation.

HISTORICAL

hiding votes – this is an example because in the election this past year some say votes for Trump were
hidden/taken away/not counted which is or could be false information spreading

CURRENT

experimenting on people and animals – this is an example because this is taking advantage of someone
in order to profit from them

6. Science without humanity:

• Interference with life between conception and natural death.

• Creation, possession, or use of weapons of aggression, or of weapons of mass destruction.

While science serves humanity in principle, there are many cases in which it does not.
Examples are when inexact or false information is spread, hiding behind fraudulent research, or
when unethical experiments are done on people and animals.

HISTORICAL

9/11 – this is an example because airplanes were made to carry and transport people from long
distances, but they can also carry bombs and other weapons or get in the hands of wrong people it
interferes with life between conception and natural death

CURRENT

greed – this is an example because sometimes we choose to develop technologies in way that are not
primarily intended to improve life, but to kill, or control, or make money by putting people out of work

7. Exploitation of ignorance; acquiescence (reluctantly accepting) in ignorance:

• Unprincipled (not acting in accordance with moral principles) education.

Educating is more than just instructing, training, cramming knowledge into people’s minds, and
making them an expert as if they were a machine. Those in charge of educating and training
people should be firm in the values that they ingrain. Inconsistency is a terrible message for
someone in training to receive.
HISTORICAL

slavery – this is an example because it is not acting in accordance with moral principals

CURRENT

lying – this is an example because this is an attempt to distract other from the truth

Pick one of the CURRENT social sins that you chose above. Find an organization/individual/group that
is working to address that social sin. Write down their website and explain what they’re doing to
address the social sin. Write down what you can do to help address this social sin.

deforestation:

https://www.momaearth.com/donate?gclid=CjwKCAiAxp-
ABhALEiwAXm6IyauwCya8xQNI_dCtPN6fRVOo86lVlBJk7ZkJNYU8mcTdnZlKAlIS_xoCs2AQAvD_BwE

this website transform unusable desert land into thriving forests to provide new habitats for wildlife,
reducing Co2 and greenhouse gases, and positively influencing local climates.

By donating, we could help address this social sin